Seeley Fire almost out, forest still dangerous

The Seeley Fire in western Carbon and Emery counties was 87 percent contained Wednesday, and the ground and helicopter assault on the 74-square-mile blaze continued to taper off.

The Eastern Arizona Incident Management team was still at a little more than 400 fire fighters who continued to work at containment lines and mop-up activities.

Cost of fighting the fire since June 26 reached $7.4 million. That number will go higher by Sunday's expected full containment.

Now that the smoke has cleared, however, long-term costs that will be felt for years to come are apparent. The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday issued a closure order for the portions of its territory burned by the fire. The map on page 2A show the closure area, along with roads and trails that will remain closed until further notice.

A burned-out forest is still a dangerous place. Falling trees, flash floods and debris flows are likely to be threats for some time.